Tendulkar Sachin has a desire. “49 to 50” is reached by Virat Kohli considerably earlier than the 365 days it normally takes him to reach his age of one.
Kohli matched Sachin Tendulkar on November 5 with the record-tying total of ’49’ ODI centuries hit. The batting sensation of India described his accomplishment as “the stuff of dreams” and revealed that it was a “very emotional moment” for him to simply tie his “hero’s record.”
“Every opportunity to play for India is a big one. To be able to ton up on my birthday is stuff of dreams,” Kohli said in the innings break at the iconic Eden Gardens, immediately after his record feat. “Grateful to God that I’ve blessed with such moments.”
Following India’s resounding 243-run triumph over South Africa, Kohli became more candid regarding his emotions regarding the hundred that matched his status with Tendulkar in the One-Day International format.
“To equal my hero’s record in ODIs is something that is a huge honor for me,” he said during the post-match presentation ceremony. “I know that people like comparisons but I am never going to be as good as him [Sachin]. There’s a reason why we’ve all looked up to him. He’s perfection when it comes to batting… he’s always going to be my hero regardless of what happens. It’s a very emotional moment for me. I know where I come from, I know the days that I’ve watched him play on TV, so just to stand here and get this appreciation from someone like him means a lot to me.”
Did he have a sense that playing another top team on his birthday, and at the Eden Gardens in front of about 65,000 people, would be special?
“First things first, it was a big game. Probably playing the toughest team in the tournament we’ve played so far, to be very honest. They played some amazing cricket so there was this motivation of wanting to do well for the team. Because it happened to be my birthday obviously it becomes a bit more special. People made it a bit more special for me.
“I had this sense of… it’s going to be something more than one more game in the World Cup. I did wake up with that excitement,” Kohli revealed.
Kohli has returned to his customary run-scoring ways after a few years of underperformance, but he is more appreciative of the opportunity to appreciate the game, a sentiment he acknowledged having lost in the midst of all the cricket.
“I would say I am enjoying myself playing cricket all over again. That to me is more special than thinking about phases [in my career] as such. I think in a phase when things are not working well, you’re not enjoying yourself, that’s what I take out of it. You’re still able to score runs because of your experience, but being out there even for those 50-60 runs is not as enjoyable as it is right now.
“I am just happy that gods blessed me with that enjoyment again and I can do things for the team that I’ve done for so many years again.”
In the World Cup 2023, Kohli has amassed 543 runs, seven runs fewer than Quinton de Kock, who currently leads with 101 not outs against South Africa. Kohli still has a minimum of two more games remaining in this edition of the ODI World Cup before he reaches this mark. Tendulkar’s desire may very well be within reach at this rate.
